2023 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
In Houston, Texas, in a rented mansion, a group of young men put on a show via their OnlyFans accounts. They pretend to be something they aren’t–and they make money as a result. These Alpha Kings aren’t all that they're cracked up to be–but the facade that they put on for the world is incredibly believable.
This film makes me sad. As an educator I’m always trying to encourage my students to go out and do the things that make them happy, but that will also allow them to live a safe and comfortable life. I want them to work toward something, not just sit back and accept that services like YouTube and OnlyFans are able to make them thousands of dollars without actually putting in any work. Alpha Kings repeatedly tells younger viewers that you can have everything you want without putting forth any effort. That makes me sad. It’s also clear to more mature audiences that the boys being showcased throughout the course of Alpha Kings aren’t who they claim to be. While they appear to be these massively confident, uber successful individuals, there is more to them–something hiding beneath the surface that seems to express how sad they really are.
With that, however, Directors Enrique Pedráza Botero and Faye Tsakas express to the world the importance of being true to yourself. They never relent in this regard, and even though the individuals showcased throughout the course of the film put on a good show (they are even truly convincing from time to time), it’s made abundantly clear that they aren’t one-hundred percent sold on the fake personas that they have adopted. I’m impressed that the directing duo was able to capture these realities throughout Alpha Kings, that they are able to get the subjects of the documentary to be themselves (so to speak). That’s, I imagine, one of the more difficult things to accomplish when creating a documentary, and it seems that the duo pulls this off with great aplomb.
I think that Alpha Kings will be a hard sell for most male viewers. We are talking about a handful of young men who show off their half-naked bodies in order to make money. The reality is that a large portion of the male population will struggle to find the merritt when it comes to this film. Now, I’m not sure if this next part was done intentionally, or if it was simply part of the story to begin with and ends up playing a pivotal role in the film as a result. However, Alpha Kings showcases young, attractive women as well. They play a significantly smaller role in the film for sure, but they exist throughout the duration of the documentary. This is the selling point for male audiences, this is one of the things that will appeal to the group that is reluctant to turn the film on and watch as a result of its primary storyline.
On the surface Alpha Kings doesn’t appear to be much. It looks like a strange telling of a few young men who use OnlyFans to make money, and then piss that money away on ridiculous things. It is that–to a degree. Beneath the surface there’s a brilliant connection to the younger generation, a generation who isn’t sure what to do with themselves but sees the answers to all of their problems in social media and the like. Alpha Kings tells a powerful story, an important story, one that I hope viewers truly pay attention to.
Directed by Enrique Pedráza Botero & Faye Tsakas.
Starring Master Dax, Master Hercules, Master Robert, King Jess, Jolie Daspit, & Sylar Breann.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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